Martin Scorsese Reveals Why He Left the Priesthood for Hollywood

In Rebecca Miller’s new documentary Mr. Scorsese, which premiered Oct. 4 at the New York Film Festival, Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese reveals the reason he abandoned his dreams of becoming a priest to instead make movies (via Variety).

Scorsese Originally Pursued a Religious Education

In the documentary, Scorsese reflects that he was driven to pursue a religious career since he attended his first Catholic mass at New York’s famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral at the age of seven. “There was a preparatory seminary, and that was on 85th Street somewhere. I did okay for the first few months, but something happened,” he explained. Namely, Scorsese could feel the world shifting around him.

“I began to realize the world is changing,” Scorsese recalled. “It was early rock and roll and the old world was dying out. I became aware of life around me. Falling in love or being attracted to girls, not that you’re acting out on it, but there were these feelings, and I suddenly realized it’s much more complicated than this. You can’t shut yourself off.”

But He Found the Lifestyle Didn’t Suit Him

Ultimately, the Mean Streets director realized that the basic tenets of the priesthood did not mesh with his personality. “The idea of priesthood, to devote yourself to others, really, that’s what it’s about. I realized I don’t belong there,” he said. Eventually, the church had to call in a member of Scorsese’s family to cajole him out of the church. “I tried to stay, but they got my father in there, and they told him, ‘Get him out of here.’ Because I behaved badly,” he admitted.

Scorsese went on to obtain an English degree from Washington Square College before making his directorial debut with 1967’s Who’s That Knocking at My Door. The film, about a young Catholic man (Harvey Keitel) who’s thrown into a tailspin when he discovers his girlfriend has been assaulted, paved the way for Scorsese’s signature blend of pop and religion which he would further explore in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Silence (2016).

Mr. Scorsese is streaming on Apple TV+ from Oct. 17.